Dashcam Shows Deputy Shooting 70-Year-Old Man at Traffic Stop

A 70 year old man is pulled over due to expired tags. The elderly man gets out of his truck and removes a cane out of the back of his truck. Unfortunately, the cane looks like a rifle and the officer shoots the man. The incident is caught on the cop’s dashcam. The cop is on leave currently, but appears to have followed all protocols. The cop believed the man he pulled over was removing a gun. The most important lesson that can be learned from this terrible situation is never exit your car when pulled over by a cop (unless the cop asks you to… and if you have a cane, tell the cop where it is and let him or her retrieve it).

The most important lesson that can be learned from this terrible situation is never exit your car when pulled over by a cop

How about the lesson that the police officer should hold his fire for a few more seconds?
How about the lesson that “officer safety” (as in no matter what happens the officer goes home safely every night) is creating situations where they don’t wait to be in danger before they start shooting?
How about the lesson that people do stupid things and officers shouldn’t expect to be in absolute control of the situation every minute and the penalty for non-compliance shouldn’t be death or shot?

Thank you for stating your thoughts. All your points are valid. I have considered this issue and understand many of the broader issues; as I have both lawyers and law-enforcement in my family. Still, had the driver stayed in his car and not exited, he certainly would not have been shot. It is not the “most important” issue, but is the first issue to address. I wrote the entry mainly with seniors in mind and keeping them safe.